Justice News

Kalamazoo Man Sentenced For Felon Firearm Possession

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN —Mosa Jamal Almahdi, 26, most recently of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was sentenced to 57 months’ of federal imprisonment by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert J. Jonker, after his guilty plea to being a convicted felon in possession of firearms, Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today. His sentence is to run consecutively to his current State of Michigan sentence for carrying a concealed weapon and assault with a dangerous weapon in an earlier incident. He will be under the supervision of the federal court for three years after he is released. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $15,000.

On June 25, 2015, hours after meeting with his State of Michigan probation officer following sentencing for his felony convictions in 9th Circuit Court, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Almahdi left his residence in Kalamazoo with two firearms, a Beretta 9mm semiautomatic pistol and a Remington .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol, intending to trade them for an AK-47 assault rifle. Almahdi was arrested en route to the prearranged location for the firearms exchange. At the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Jonker described Almahdi’s actions as "brazen" and "egregious" in attempting to trade firearms to acquire an AK-47 so soon after sentencing on his state felony offenses and just four hours after his Michigan probation officer warned Almahdi that he was prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.

"Mosa Almahdi’s actions in possessing firearms and attempting to obtain another firearm shortly after his sentencing for a felony offense flouted both the law and his Michigan probation officer’s admonition," Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Byerly Birge said. "The Court’s sentence is a message that the consequences are severe for convicted felons who violate federal firearms laws."

"The collaborative efforts of the FBI’s Kalamazoo Resident Agency and Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety in responding quickly to prevent Mr. Almahdi from obtaining an assault rifle is testament to the priority we place on keeping our communities safe. The public should know we will continue efforts to prevent gun offenses in the Western District of Michigan," said David P. Gelios, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Detroit.

The FBI and Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety investigated this offense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay M. West prosecuted the case.